We learned (Arachin 16a): "The me'il (the robe of the high-priest) atoned for lashon hara, the Holy One Blessed be He saying: 'Let that which produces a sound [(the bells on the robe)] atone for the sound of the voice' [i.e., lashon hara]." And this is so, only if his acts [of lashon hara] were not of avail [to produce quarrels and the like]; but if they were, plague-spots come upon him." With the help of the Blessed L-rd, we will explain the relevant section in the Torah, word by word:
(Shemoth 28:31): "And you shall make the me'il of the ephod [i.e., belted by the ephod] entirely of blue wool [tcheleth]." It would seem that tcheleth was necessary because of what our sages of blessed memory have said about tzitzith (Menachoth 89a), that tcheleth is reminiscent of [the color of] the sea; the sea, of the firmament; and the firmament, of the Throne of Glory. That is, he shall remember thereby that he will come before the Throne of Glory. Similarly, in our instance. It is stated in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu, that the lashon hara that one speaks ascends opposite the Throne of Glory, as it is written (Psalms 73a): "They have placed their mouths in the skies, and their tongue walks the earth." Since he is clothed in tcheleth, he will remember and reflect upon whither his words ascend, and he will guard himself against this.
(Shemoth 28:32): "And the mouth of its head shall be [folded over] within it." This intimates what Chazal have said on the verse (Job 26:7): "'He suspends the earth on nothingness [blimah]' — On whom does the earth depend? On him who clamps his mouth shut [bolem piv] in a time of quarrel." That is, he suppresses all his speech then, that it not go forth.
(Shemoth, Ibid.): "A border shall there be for its (his) mouth roundabout, the work of a weaver": That is, he should imagine that on his mouth roundabout there is the work of a weaver, his lips being woven one to the other, so that he cannot open them.
(Ibid.): "As the opening of a suit of armor shall it [its neck-opening] be for it, so that it not be torn." Why need the Torah add "as the opening of a suit of armor"? Is it not sufficient to have stated "And the mouth of its head shall be [folded over] within it. A border shall there be for its mouth"? It must intimate, then, that just as one dons armor for protection, that he not be harmed by the arrows shot at him, so, if one clamps shut his mouth, it affords him protection against his antagonist, and, in the end, it serves to silence him by giving him no answer. If he answered him, however, the quarrel would widen and he would come to blows, as it is written (Ibid. 21:18): "And if men quarrel, and a man strike his neighbor with stone or fist, etc." And the Holy One Blessed be He is also his Protector because of this, because "the earth depends upon him," as mentioned above.
(Ibid. 33-34): "And you shall make on its (lower) hem pomegranates of purple … and golden bells in their midst roundabout [one bell between every two pomegranates]. A golden bell and a pomegranate [next to it], a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the me'il roundabout. The allusion here would seem to be to what Chazal have said (Chullin 89a): "What is a man's 'trade'? Let him make himself a mute. I might think, even to words of Torah. It is, therefore, written (Psalms 58:2): 'Righteousness shall you speak.'" It is found, then, according to this, that whenever one has time, he should not remain idle, but he should learn Torah. And the learning should not be silent, as we find in Eruvin 54a. And when one cannot learn Torah, whatever the reason might be, he should make himself a mute, who cannot open his mouth. And for this reason there were on the hem of the me'il, "a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate," alluding to the study of Torah, as mentioned above. And, in the midst of this, when he cannot learn, he should embrace the trait of silence [as our sages of blessed memory have said (Avoth 1:16): "R. Shimon ben Gamliel said: 'All my life, I grew up among the wise, and I found nothing better for the body than silence.'"] And this is alluded to by the pomegranate next to the bell; that is, like a pomegranate, that makes no sound. And, if one conducts himself in this manner, the Torah assures us (Ibid. 35): "and its sound will be heard when he comes to the sanctuary." That is, the sound of his prayer and his Torah will be accepted on high, which will not be the case if he does not guard his faculty of speech and mixes his speech with lashon hara, rechiluth, and the like, in which case the forbidden speech will defile his words of holiness and they will not be accepted on high, as mentioned above in Chapter I.
And (Shemoth, Ibid.): "…and when he leaves and he will not die" is to be understood in the same vein. That is when his time to leave the world arrives, he will find there everything that he said "before the L-rd," as we find in the holy Zohar: "Even a solitary breath that leaves a man's mouth is not lost." "and he will not die": That is, through this, he will have eternal life, as it is written (Vayikra 18:5): "And he shall live through them."
פָּרָשַׁת תְּצַוֶּה
Tetzave
גָּרְסִינַן בְּמַסֶּכֶת עֲרָכִין (דף טז.), דְּהַמְּעִיל הָיָה מְכַפֵּר עַל עֲוֹן לָשׁוֹן הָרָע. אָמַר הַקָדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: יָבוֹא דָּבָר שֶׁבְּקוֹל וִיכַפֵּר עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הַקּוֹל. וְדַוְקָא אִם לֹא אַהֲנוּ מַעֲשָׂיו (הועילו מעשיו), אֲבָל אִם אַהֲנוּ מַעֲשָׂיו (הועילו מעשיו), [כְּגוֹן שֶׁנִּתְקוֹטְטוּ עַל יָדוֹ וְכַדּוֹמֶה] אָתוּ נְגָעִים עֲלֵהּ (בָּאוּ נְגָעִים עָלָיו). עַיֵּן שָׁם בַּגְּמָרָא. וּנְבָאֵר בְּעֶזְרַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ הַפָּרָשְׁה שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, הָאֲמוּרָה בָּעִנְין הַזֶּה, כָּל תֵּבָה וְתֵבָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ;
We learned (Arachin 16a): "The me'il (the robe of the high-priest) atoned for lashon hara, the Holy One Blessed be He saying: 'Let that which produces a sound [(the bells on the robe)] atone for the sound of the voice' [i.e., lashon hara]." And this is so, only if his acts [of lashon hara] were not of avail [to produce quarrels and the like]; but if they were, plague-spots come upon him." With the help of the Blessed L-rd, we will explain the relevant section in the Torah, word by word:
"וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת מְעִיל הָאֵפוֹד כְּלִיל תְּכֵלֶת". וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁלְּכָךְ בָּא תְּכֵלֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה עַל צִיצִית (מנחות פ"ט.), שֶׁנִּצְטַוֵּינוּ בִּפְתִיל תְּכֵלֶת, שֶׁהַתְּכֵלֶת דּוֹמָה לְיָם וְיָם דּוֹמֶה לְרָקיעַ, וְרָקִיעַ דּוֹמֶה לְכִסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד. וְהַיְנוּ שֶׁעַל יָדָם יִזְכֹּר שֶׁיָּבוֹא לְדִין לִפְנֵי כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, כֵּן הוּא גַּם בָּזֶה, כִּי אִיתָא בְּתָנָא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ, שֶׁהַלָּשׁוֹן הָרָע שֶׁהוּא מְסַפֵּר, הוּא עוֹלֶה עַד כְּנֶגֶד כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים ע"ג ט'): "שַׁתּוּ בַשָּׁמַיִם פִּיהֶם, וּלְשׁוֹנָם תִּהֲלַךְ בָּאָרֶץ". וְעַל יְדֵי שֶׁהוּא לָבוּשׁ תְּכֵלֶת, יִזְכֹּר וְיִתְבּוֹנֵן אַיֵּה דְּבָרָיו עוֹלִים וְיִשָּׁמֵר מִזֶּה.
(Shemoth 28:31): "And you shall make the me'il of the ephod [i.e., belted by the ephod] entirely of blue wool [tcheleth]." It would seem that tcheleth was necessary because of what our sages of blessed memory have said about tzitzith (Menachoth 89a), that tcheleth is reminiscent of [the color of] the sea; the sea, of the firmament; and the firmament, of the Throne of Glory. That is, he shall remember thereby that he will come before the Throne of Glory. Similarly, in our instance. It is stated in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu, that the lashon hara that one speaks ascends opposite the Throne of Glory, as it is written (Psalms 73a): "They have placed their mouths in the skies, and their tongue walks the earth." Since he is clothed in tcheleth, he will remember and reflect upon whither his words ascend, and he will guard himself against this.
"וְהָיָה פִי רֹאשׁוֹ בְּתוֹכוֹ" (שמות כ"ח ל"ב). רָמַז בָּזֶה מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה עַל הַפָּסוּק (איוב כ"ו ז'): "תֹּלֶה אֶרֶץ עַל בְּלִימָה", עַל מִי הָעוֹלָם קַיָּם? עַל מִי שֶׁבּוֹלֵם פִּיו בִּשְׁעַת מְרִיבָה, וְהַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּכְבֹּש אָז אֶת כָּל דִּבּוּרוֹ, שֶׁלֹא יֵצֵא לַחוּץ;
(Shemoth 28:32): "And the mouth of its head shall be [folded over] within it." This intimates what Chazal have said on the verse (Job 26:7): "'He suspends the earth on nothingness [blimah]' — On whom does the earth depend? On him who clamps his mouth shut [bolem piv] in a time of quarrel." That is, he suppresses all his speech then, that it not go forth.
"שָׂפָה יִהְיֶה לְפִיו סָבִיב מַעֲשֵׂה אֹרֵג" (שמות שם). וְהַיְנוּ שֶׁיְּצַיֵּר אָז בְּנַפְשׁוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ יֵשׁ עוֹד עַל פִּיו מִבַּחוּץ מַעֲשֵׂה אוֹרֵג, שֶׁנֶּאֶרְגוּ הַשְּׂפָתַיִם זוֹ לָזוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יוּכַל לְפָתְחָם;
(Shemoth, Ibid.): "A border shall there be for its (his) mouth roundabout, the work of a weaver": That is, he should imagine that on his mouth roundabout there is the work of a weaver, his lips being woven one to the other, so that he cannot open them.
"כְּפִי תַחֲרָא יִהְיֶה לוֹ, לֹא יִקָּרֵעַ". וּפֵרֵשׁ רַשִּׁ"י: לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהָיוּ שִׁרְיוֹנִים שֶׁלָּהֶם פִּיהֶם כָּפוּל, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִקָרַע. וְהִנֵּה לִכְאוֹרָה לָמָּה הֻצְרְכָה הַתּוֹרָה לְבָאֵר לָנוּ "כְּפִי תַחֲרָא", הֲלֹא דַּי לָנוּ בְּמַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב מִתְּחִלָּה: "וְהָֹיָה פִי רֹאשׁוֹ בְּתוֹכוֹ, שָׂפָה יִהְיֶה לְפִיו"? אֶלָּא לִרְמֹז לָנוּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁהַשִּׁרְיוֹן (הוּא הַמָּגֵן) שֶׁלּוֹבְשׁוֹ הָאָדָם הוּא לְמָגֵן וּמַחֲסֶה, שֶׁלֹּא יֻזַּק מִן הַחִצִּים שֶׁזּוֹרְקִים עָלָיו, כֵּן הוּא מִי שֶׁבּוֹלֵם אֶת פִּיו, הוּא לוֹ לְמָגֵן בִּפְנֵי הַמֵּרִיב עִמּוֹ, שֶׁסּוֹף דָּבָר יִהְיֶה שֶׁיִּשְׁתֹּק הַמֵּרִיב, כֵּיוָן שֶׁאֵין עוֹנֶה אוֹתוֹ דָּבָר. מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן אִם יַעֲנֶה לוֹ, תִּתְרַחֵב הַמְּרִיבָה, וּבָא לִידֵי מַהֲלוּמוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות כ"א י"ח): "וְכִי יְרִיבֻן אֲנָשִׁים וְהִכָּה אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ בְּאֶבֶן אוֹ בְאֶגְרֹף" וְגוֹ'. וְגַם הַקָדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הוּא לוֹ לְמָגֵן וּמַחֲסֶה עֲבוּר זֶה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָעוֹלָם קַיָּם בִּשְׁבִילוֹ, וְכַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל.
(Ibid.): "As the opening of a suit of armor shall it [its neck-opening] be for it, so that it not be torn." Why need the Torah add "as the opening of a suit of armor"? Is it not sufficient to have stated "And the mouth of its head shall be [folded over] within it. A border shall there be for its mouth"? It must intimate, then, that just as one dons armor for protection, that he not be harmed by the arrows shot at him, so, if one clamps shut his mouth, it affords him protection against his antagonist, and, in the end, it serves to silence him by giving him no answer. If he answered him, however, the quarrel would widen and he would come to blows, as it is written (Ibid. 21:18): "And if men quarrel, and a man strike his neighbor with stone or fist, etc." And the Holy One Blessed be He is also his Protector because of this, because "the earth depends upon him," as mentioned above.
"וְעָשִׂיתָ עַל שׁוּלָיו רִמּוֹנֵי תְּכֵלֶת וְגוֹ' וּפַעֲמֹנֵי זָהָב בְּתוֹכָם סָבִיב: פַּעֲמֹן זָהָב וְרִמּוֹן וְגוֹ' עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל סָבִיב" (שמות כ"ח ל"ג ל"ד). וְהָרֶמֶז בְּדָבָר זֶה נִרְאֶה עַל פִּי מַה שֶּׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (חלין פ"ט.): מָה אֻמָּנוּתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה? יָשִׂים עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלֵּם. יָכוֹל אַף לְדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה? תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (תהילים נ"ח ב'): "צֶדֶק תְּדַבֵּרוּן". נִמְצָא לְפִי זֶה, שֶׁבְּכָל עֵת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ לְאָדָם פְּנַאי, לֹא יֵשֵׁב בָּטֵל, אֶלָּא יִלְמַד תּוֹרָה, וְהַלִּמּוּד לֹא יִהְיֶה בִּלְחִישָׁה, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּעֵרוּבִין (דף נד.). וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִלְמֹד תּוֹרָה מֵאֵיזוֹ סִבָּה שֶׁהִיא, יָשִׂים עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלֵּם, שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִפְתֹּחַ פִּיו. וְלָזֶה הָיָה עַל שׁוּלֵי הַמְּעִיל סָבִיב פַּעֲמֹן זָהָב וְרִמּוֹן, פַּעֲמֹן זָהָב וְרִמּוֹן. פַּעֲמֹן זָהָב הוּא דָּבָר בְּקוֹל, רוֹמֵז עַל לִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה, כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל. וּבְתוֹךְ כָּךְ, כְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִלְמֹד, יֹאחַז בְּמִדַּת הַשְּׁתִיקָה [כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (אבות א' ט"ז): אָמַר ר' שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל: כָּל יָמַי גָּדַלְתִּי בֵּין הַחֲכָמִים, וְלֹא מָצָאתִי לַגּוּף טוֹב מִשְּׁתִיקָה], וְלָזֶה רוֹמֵז הָרִמּוֹן שֶׁאֵצֶל הַפַּעֲמֹן, הַיְנוּ כְּרִמּוֹן, שֶׁאֵין נִשְׁמָע מִמֶּנּוּ שׁוּם קוֹל. וְאִם מִתְנַהֵג בְּאֹפֶן זֶה, הִבְטִיחָה לָנוּ הַתּוֹרָה (שמות כ"ח ל"ה): "וְנִשְׁמַע קוֹלוֹ בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ", הַיְנוּ שֶׁתִּתְקַבֵּל לְמַעְלָה קוֹל תְּפִלָּתוֹ וְתוֹרָתוֹ. מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן אִם אֵינוֹ שׁוֹמֵר אֶת כֹּחַ דִּבּוּרוֹ וּמְעָרֵב בְּדִבּוּרוֹ לָשׁוֹן הָרָע וּרְכִילוּת וְכַדּוֹמֶה, אָז מְטַמְּאִין הַדִּבּוּרִים הָאֲסוּרִים אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַקְּדֻשָּׁה שֶׁלּוֹ, וְלֹא יִתְקַבְּלוּ לְמַעְלָה, וְכַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל בְּפֶרֶק א'.
(Ibid. 33-34): "And you shall make on its (lower) hem pomegranates of purple … and golden bells in their midst roundabout [one bell between every two pomegranates]. A golden bell and a pomegranate [next to it], a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the me'il roundabout. The allusion here would seem to be to what Chazal have said (Chullin 89a): "What is a man's 'trade'? Let him make himself a mute. I might think, even to words of Torah. It is, therefore, written (Psalms 58:2): 'Righteousness shall you speak.'" It is found, then, according to this, that whenever one has time, he should not remain idle, but he should learn Torah. And the learning should not be silent, as we find in Eruvin 54a. And when one cannot learn Torah, whatever the reason might be, he should make himself a mute, who cannot open his mouth. And for this reason there were on the hem of the me'il, "a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate," alluding to the study of Torah, as mentioned above. And, in the midst of this, when he cannot learn, he should embrace the trait of silence [as our sages of blessed memory have said (Avoth 1:16): "R. Shimon ben Gamliel said: 'All my life, I grew up among the wise, and I found nothing better for the body than silence.'"] And this is alluded to by the pomegranate next to the bell; that is, like a pomegranate, that makes no sound. And, if one conducts himself in this manner, the Torah assures us (Ibid. 35): "and its sound will be heard when he comes to the sanctuary." That is, the sound of his prayer and his Torah will be accepted on high, which will not be the case if he does not guard his faculty of speech and mixes his speech with lashon hara, rechiluth, and the like, in which case the forbidden speech will defile his words of holiness and they will not be accepted on high, as mentioned above in Chapter I.
וּמַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב (שם): "וּבְצֵאתוֹ וְלֹא יָמוּת", הַיְנוּ גַּם כֵּן, כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ זְמַן יְצִיאָתוֹ מִן הָעוֹלָם. יִמְצָא שָׁם גַּם כֵּן אֶת כָּל דִּבּוּרוֹ שֶׁדִבֵּר לְשֵׁם ה', וְכִדְאִיתָא בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ, דַּאֲפִלּוּ הַבְלָא חֲדָא, דְּאַפִּיק בַּר נָשׁ מִפּוּמֵהּ, לָא אִתְאֲבִיד (אפילו הבל אחד שמוציא אדם מפיו לשם שמים - לא נאבד). וְלֹא יָמוּת, הַיְנוּ, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ עַל יְדֵי זֶה שָׁם חַיִּים נִצְחִיִּים, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ויקרא י"ח ה'): "וָחַי בָּהֶם".
And (Shemoth, Ibid.): "…and when he leaves and he will not die" is to be understood in the same vein. That is when his time to leave the world arrives, he will find there everything that he said "before the L-rd," as we find in the holy Zohar: "Even a solitary breath that leaves a man's mouth is not lost." "and he will not die": That is, through this, he will have eternal life, as it is written (Vayikra 18:5): "And he shall live through them."